Saturday, April 28, 2007

2007 NFL Draft - The Ultimate Live-Blog!

7:55 - Alright everybody, here's the plan. I'm heading out to once again consume frosty beverages. Since just about every other site out there has closed up shop for the night, I don't feel nearly as bad about leaving. HOWEVER, I fully plan to wake up at some point tomorrow (God-willing) and put up some analysis of the late second and all of the third rounds... and then sit in my comfy bar-co-lounger for the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds and just space out, updating sporadically about whatever makes me smile. I hope my 10+ posts throughout the day have informed and entertained, anf if nothing else, I leave you knowing this: I got one rippin' sunburn today while trying to post using the PDA. I couldn't see the screen in th golf cart, so I had to hang out the side while I typed... directly in full sunlight. For those of us that are "Melonin-challenged" (i.e. one shade short of albino), this leads to a solid farmer's tan on the arms and a nice set of raccoon eyes from behind the shades. I'll make a solid impression at the bars tonight.

See you all tomorrow, at some point, hangover be damned.

7:35 - Keyshawn Johnson is "very excited" to have Dwayne Jarrett joining him on the Panthers... let's see how long that lasts once Keyshawn realizes he's going to be losing touches every game as the season goes on. By the way - I haven't seen the entire draft so far, obviously, but this Keyshawn/Jarrett interview via satellite/phone might be the worst idea of all-time. These are two guys who don't appear to have mstered the face-to-face interview yet, and we're expecting them to converse coherantly 3000 miles away from each other with a 3 second delay?7:31 - Also, I should have mentioned... it's nice having Miami & Buffalo in the AFC East with the Pats. Can always count on them for at least one "Huh?" moment in every draft.7:30 - Wel, that was an anti-climactic ending. Always tough when your best hitter ends the game in the on-deck circle. Anyway, some quick reactions to the draft so far today:

-- Cleveland Browns' fans are going to look back at today one of two ways - either they just completely revamped their team and put themselves in a great position to compete for the next five years, or they blew it big time, giving #3 money to an o-Lineman and trading away the future for a "System" QB. I think it's the former.-- Here's ESPN.com's "analysis" from the Patriots' end of their trade with SF for the #28 overall pick: "The Patriots like to acquire future No. 1 picks." Oh, you think so doctor? I was convinced they would trade that pick right up until the point that I looked at the screen and saw Paul Pozlusny still on the board... but getting San Fran's #1 in '08 is huge. Great trade for both teams.-- Denver got one hell of a player in Jarvis Moss... but they gave up three picks to get him. He'd better pan out - especially when the first of the three traded picks turned into Reggie Nelson.-- Quick Reactions: Seattle is no gimme in the NFC West next season. Arizona got some serious help today, and obviously, San Fran has had a monster offseason to date. St. Louis... well, somebody's gotta finish last.-- I'm always fascinated with trades like the one San Diego & Chicago made. Both teams were good last season. San Diego had one real pressing need - Linebacker. Chicago has one real pressing need - QB. So what happens? The Chargers give up three picks this year and one next year to draft a second round Safety. I'm sure this will all make sense once the alcohol wears off.7:15 -Please forgive my ignorance. I went to take a shower (for some reason, I sweat an inordinate amount while golfing. Must be the alcohol.) and suddenly realized it was the 9th inning of a Red Sox/Yankees game. Needless to say, I haven't spent much of the past 45 minutes reading up on draft day happenings. I'll get back to you all shortly.6:30 - Guys, it was a thing of beauty. Seriously, you should've seen it. Me and my buddy Jay pulled the golf cart into the 19th hole just as the Patriots' clock ran out for pick #24. I picked up the PDA, all set to offer instant analysis on the safety, linebacker, or trade that was about to be announced, only to see the following message: "Your battery has insufficient power to support the function you have requested. Please recharge and try again later." Ugh. Of the many things that have happened since the 3:35 update, let me say this - Brady Quinn slipping to the Browns (via trade) is ridiculous. I'm sure the ESPN guys have beaten this to death already, but the first thing I thought was - "He's either the next Aaron Rodgers or the next Joe Montana." I'm hoping it's the former, because I'd hate to have to listen to ND apologists for the next ten years. Cleveland has done a hell of a job so far in this draft - let me catch up on all the picks and trades and I'll offer some actual analysis in about twenty minutes. Then I'm going to go take a shower and probably get ready to head out drinking for the night, but the PDA is recharging, and provided Verizon Wireless can give me coverage in random pubs in Watertown, I'll try to check in a couple more times before the night is over. I think I just have to chalk this one up as a "Brett Favre" day - trying to do too much with too little. At least I had a decent round of golf and a handful of good beers and nachos. Back again soon.

3:35 - Right now, Notre Dame haters are rejoicing. Brady Quinn is likely to slip to AT LEAST 21st to the Jags... I had to relload the Yahoo coverage 3 times... I couldn't believe he's still out there.

2:25 - Marshawn Lynch and Ted Ginn... Those might be two of the biggest reaches I've ever seen in a first round. Also, we won't discuss that I'm shooting a 68... Through 10 holes.

1pm - 4 holes in, and I'm "Golfing by 4's" - I am only scoring in multiples of 4 so far... 8, 8, 4, 8. Solid round. Plus, I managed to hit a ball backwards without having it hit anything else. Looks like the first 4 picks have been pretty bland... Everyone going where they're "supposed" to go. More in an hour.

11:30 - Finally made it to the course... With a half-dry shirt. This will be a most interesting round of golf. On an NFL note, Peter King just reported on WEEI that Randy Moss absollutely would be dealt today. Just imagine if the Patriots parlay Deion Branch into Randy Moss... Wow.

10:38 - You know, my dryer takes much longer than it should to dry out one shirt. I'm glad my tee time isn't until about 11:45. Also, it gives me a chance to watch the Pre-Draft Pre-Game. I thought I'd miss Michael Irvin's antics on the ESPN NFL Crew but I've got to say, as much as I hated Keyshawn Johnson back when he was still playing, the guy actually knows his stuff about the game. Even if he just said that The Raiders could quickly become the next Patriots' by taking JaMarcus Russell #1 overall. Plus, he doesn't feel the need to scream all of his observations at me. Wait, what do you mean he's still playing? Are you sure?

10:31AM - Almost forgot to mention it - click here to read my "pseudo-prediction" (second comment on the page) for what I think could happen in this first round later today - ignore the part where I say I won't be Live-Blogging today. I just wanted it in writing, just in case it happens, so I can either look like a complete genius, or complete buffoon...10:25AM - You really should see me right now. I'm half-dressed (the important half is covered), just waiting for my shirt to come out of the dryer so I can get in my car and drive to the golf course. I figured this would be an excellent time to start today's Live Blog thingy.

Unfortunately, half of the "suspense" from the draft - "Who's going #1?" Appears to be gone, as ESPN is reporting that, for once, the Raiders are doing something smart and taking JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick. I was really hoping they'd do something completely off the walls, like send Al Davis to the podium to draft Marcus Allen or something, just as a goof.

Anyway, I'm heading for the laundry room, followed by the golf course. I'll be checking in shortly after 11AM, and probably every half-hour or three holes on the course, whichever is easier. Of course, if my phone decides to lose coverage (a distinct possibility) or battery life (an even greater possibility), I might be checking in sometime around 4PM with my next update.